Keeping Tabs On Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation

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Monthly Archives: December 2013

Background: I was contacted by a Stanford researcher about the survey via email. She got my contact information from Nick Fitz http://ubc.academia.edu/NicholasFitz whose interest in tDCS relates to the ethics of cognitive enhancement. While I don’t know the ultimate purpose of the survey, I know that it associates with Stanford professor Hank Greely who “…specializes in the ethical, legal, and social implications of new biomedical technologies, particularly those related to neuroscience, genetics, or stem cell research.” Certainly the notion of community includes researchers and scientists. In that most of us will be reporting 0 side effects, I can see how it could be beneficial to have Stanford-level researchers armed with good and correct information. I don’t see a downside and encourage participation.

As the first systematic study on DIY tDCS user community, the goal of this research is to understand what is happening in this community, and more specifically to know about current patterns of usage and users’ thoughts on effects and safety of tDCS. I believe that this research will provide a precious opportunity to collect the voice of DIY tDCS user community.

Do you want to share your experiences with DIY tDCS?

Stanford University Law School is now conducting a research study on the DIY tDCS user community. We’d love to know about who you are, why you are using tDCS and what your thoughts and concerns, if any, are regarding this special device. We believe that this research will provide a precious opportunity to collect the voices of DIY tDCS users.

A little zap to the brain may improve the way you feel about a picture. Neurologist Zaira Cattaneo is the co-author of a new study called The world can look better: enhancing beauty experience with brain stimulation. For the experiment, Zaira and her fellow researchers stimulated the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex to see if that would enhance the experience of beauty. The results? Listen to her full interview with Nora now!